It was very important to me to play in nature during my trip to Japan. There is so much inspiration from nature in traditional honkyoku (solo music for shakuhachi) and in general in Japanese arts and culture, that reading about it was not enough, I wanted to experience it.

I had selected a few places I absolutely wanted to go to: mountains, bamboo forests, waterfalls. I practiced several pieces I wanted to play there. Playing in nature means obviously playing by heart.

Improvisation was not my goal, as I wanted to experience the connection between specific honkyoku and its environment.

And May was a fantastic month to listen to birds as well!

My short trip of 16 days was way too short to cover all that I wanted to discover, but the experience was very strong and I took back lots of inspiration.

Whenever, wherever, I play those pieces now, there is some of the memory of the Japanese nature in them.

Here are the highlights of my trip.

Continue reading Shakuhachi Pilgrimage in Japan – Part 2 – Nature →